Edward d



(No Model.) l

- E. D. HARSEN.

STEAM VACUUM DREDGER.

No. 514,598. Patented Peb. 1s, 1894.

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UNITED STATES PATENT EDWARD D. HRSEN, OF BROOKLYN, ASSIGNOR TO THE MINING AND DREDGING POV/VER COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

STEAM-VACU U M DREDG ER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 514,598, dated February 13, 1894. Application filed May 4, 1891. Renewed May 11, 1892. Again renewed July l5, 1893. Serial No. 480,664. (No model-l .To a/ZZ whom t may concern.-

Beit known that I, EDWARD D, l-IARSEN, a citizen ofthe United States, residing in Brooklyn, in the countyot Kings and State of New York, have invented certain nenr and useful Improvements in Steam-Vacuum Dredgers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to that class ot' dredging apparatus or pumps which are primarily used for dredging and mining, and in which the pressure of the atmosphere is utilized to elevate dbris or any other semi-liquid material into a vacuum chamber, the vacuum being formed in the pump by the condensation of steam, and in which steam pressure is then used to force the material out of the pump and lift it to the required height; and the invention consists of a steam vacuum dredging apparatus, which comprises a pumpchamber supported on a base which is connected at one end with a suction pipe and at the other end with a discharge pi pe, said suction and discharge pipes being provided with gate-valves that are guided in valve-chambers and operated by means ot pistons arranged in cylinders supported on laterally extending brackets of the pump-chamber;

The invention consists further, in the con struction and arrangement of parts, hereinafter fully set forth and inallypointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents a side elevation of my improved steam vacuum dredger, shown with a portion of the suction-pipe valve chamber broken away; and Fig. 2 is a vertical transverse section of the cylinder and piston for operating one of the gatevalves.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

In the drawings, A A represent steam-cylinders provided with cylinder-heads A A2 and steam-chests a?, as shown; and with the steam-ports a2 and 0.3, and exhausteports ai a, whereby the up or down movement of the pistons p is regulated by the manipulation of the valves h h of the steam-pipe H. Each valve It is constructed so as to freely admit the steam through the pipe H into the chest 5o hl at all times; but, by the manipulation thereof, as by means of the lever 71.3 and link h4, connected with the valve-stem h', the bar h2 (one end of which is rigidly attached to the valve-stem 7i and the outer extremity of which is pivoted at o. to the slide-valve a5 within the chest a?) is moved so as to admit the steam, passing from the pipe H into the chest a?, either into the port a3 or the port a2, according to the position of the slide-valve a5; the steam being allovved,atter performing its work in moving the piston Within the cyl-V inder A, to escape through the exhaust ctin the manner well known in the art.

At the lower extremities ot the piston-rods B B, are gate-valves C C. These vertical gate Valves are constructed with parallel sides, and Work in grooves e e, and are planed or trued so as to slide smoothly through the stufling-boxes E E 5 the tops of which latter are provided with glands F F, the upper parts F2 of the same being formed in funnel shape in order to contain water. The object of allowing Water to remain in the funnelshaped boxes is to make the valves tight, as Water will then be drawn in instead of air; and the frequent renewal of packing will be avoided and the apparatus enabled bettervto pump with the water sand and stones and grit of all kinds held in suspension therein.

The grooves e e are preferably formed by.

ways e', which may be bolted to the sides of*y the channel-Way of the valve-chambers D D y and which serve to guide the gate-valves C C in their stroke up and down. The gate-valves' O C also conform in size to the general shapeof the channel-Way of the valve-chambers D' D', and move freely in the Ways e.

The upper end of each piston rod B passes* upwardly from the piston p, through a stuft'- ing-box A4 in the top head A' of the cylin, der A; and is provided with a head p which works in a cylindrical dash-pot. .1; the two extremities of each dash-pot being connected i by a ppej, in which is a valve j. The dashpots .I contain Water; and the violent concussion in opening either of the gate-valves O O is prevented by means of the pressure upon vthe water in forcing the saine from one end of the cylinder to the other through the pipe j, a water-cushion being thus formed. The flow of the water may be regulated by means ofthe valves 7".

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The valve-chambers D D are made integral with or attached by rivets to each end of a base D, which is also provided with an interior channel-Way conforming to those of the valve-chambers D D', and which is surmounted by a vacuum-cylinder G, that is cast with or bolted on the same. The base D is arranged in line with the valve-chambers D D and with the suction and discharge-pipes D2 and D3 so that they form a continuous channelway from the suction-pipe through one valve chamber D to the base of the pump-chamber when the suction gate-valve C is opened and the discharge-valve closed, and another continuous channel-way from the baseD through the discharge valve-chamber D to the discharge-pi pe D3, when the discharge gate-valve is opened and kthe suction gate-valve closed. This arrangement facilitates the free and unobstructed movement of the material when it is sucked into the pump chamberby the vacuum and when it is expelled by the action of the steam admitted into the pump-chamber. The absence of corners and angles permits the easy movement of the material withoutany unnecessaryobstructions being placed in its path, so that the pulsating action of the pump is facilitated and its effectiveness increased.

The steam-cylinders A A are attached to the sides of the pump-chamber G by means of the brackets g3 a. The pump-chamber G is also provided with a valved water-pipe g, valved steam-pipe g', and valved exhaust pipe g2. The steam pipe II. serves to supply steam to the pump-chamber G and to the steam-cylinders A A.

The operation of the parts is as follows: The left-hand suction gate-valve C being opened and the entrance of the suction-pipe D2 leading thereto, being submerged; and the right-hand discharge gate-valve C being closed, or in positions the reverse to that shown in the drawings; a vacuum is formed in the pump-chamber G by first filling it with steam and then condensing the steam by the admission of cold Water. The submerged end being placed below the level of the ground, or in a pit lled with mixture of Water and gravel or other solid material, the pressure of the atmosphere will force the semiliquid material through the suction-pipe and valve-chamber D into the pump-chamber G. When the vacuum chamber G is filled, steam is again let into it through the valve g; and, simultaneously, the left-hand suction gatevalve C is closed and the right-hand discharge gate-valve C is opened, the parts now being in the positions represented in the drawings; and the material is thereby discharged through the valve-chamber D', and may be Vmoving or elevating any semi-liquid material.

The controlling-valves h h g g g2 may be operated manually independently or in pairs; or they may be operated automatically, by the use of a ball oi'iioat placed within the pump-chamber G in the man ner well known in the art and adapted to properly operate the valveswhen thepump-chamber is emptied and when it becomes partially filled with Water.

As it is evident that many slight changes in the construction and relative arrangement of parts might be resorted to Without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention, I would have it understood that I do not restrict myself to the particular construction and arrangement of parts shown and described; but

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. The combination, of a pump-chamber having a suction-pipe and a discharge-pipe, gate-valves in said suction and dischargepipes, cylinders for operating said gatevalves, mechanism for controlling the slidevalves of the cylinders, and valved pipes for admitting steam and Water to the pumpchamber, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination, of a pump chamber, a base for the same, a suction-pipe at one end and a discharge-pipe at the other e'nd of the base, valve-chambers in said pipes, gatevalves guided in said valve-chambers, and steam-cylinders the piston-rods of which are connected with said gate-valves for operating the same, said base and valve-chambers forming a continuous and uninterrupted channel Way with the suction and discharge-pipes, substantially as set forth.

3. The combination, with the pump-chamber having a suction-pipe and a dischargepipe, of valve-chambers in said pipes, gatevalves in said valve-chambers, cylinders for operating said gate valves, and dash-pots above the cylinders having pipes connecting the ends of the dash-pots for cushioning the gate-valves, substantially as set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I have signed my name in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

EDWARD D. HARSEN. lVitnesses:

PAUL GOEPEL, A. M. BAKER.

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